title: Free induction decay MR signal measurements toward ultra-low field MRI with an optically pumped atomic magnetometer.
abstract: Ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging (ULF-MRI) has attracted attention because of its low running costs and minimum patient exposure. An optically pumped atomic magnetometer (OPAM) is a magnetic sensor with high sensitivity in the low frequency range, which does not require a cryogenic cooling system. In an effort to develop a ULF-MRI, we attempted to measure the free induction decay MR signals with an OPAM. We successfully detected the MR signals by combining an OPAM and a flux transformer, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed system.
authors.forename: Takenori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oida
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D060306:Magnetometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted